Knotter



June 10, 1924,. 1,497,354

' B. E. BYRD KNOTTER Filed July 26. 1921 l VE N T01? Bmrrozv E. BYRD JQIIWWLWQQ Arm/mam Patented June 19, 1924.

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BRIT'ION E. BYRD, OF DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR T0 MILL DEVICES CON PANY, OF DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA,

a conronarron or NORTH canomnn.

n nor'rnn.

Application filed July 26,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Bnrr'ron Brno, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Durham, in the county of Durham and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knotters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a knotter and more particularly to a knotting device adapted to be employed for the purpose of securing together the ends of threads; and has special reference to the provision of an improved knotter of the type'disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,282,041, of October 522.1918.

A prime desideratum of my present invention comprehends the provision of a knotter of the type referred to in which the operating parts are so constructed and so cooperatively related as to prevent the accidental dislocation of parts and to mini mize or eliminate the undesirable wear and tear of elements found incident to the use of the lznotter of my priorconstruction A corelated object of my invention comprehends the provision of a knotter in which the construction for accomplishing the improved operation is obtained without sacrificing the facile detachability of elements desired in a device of this nature and without materially increasing the cost of its manufacture, all the improved elements being constructed of sheet or rolled metal shaped into the desired configuration.

A further prime desid eratum of my invention comprehends the provision of a knotter of the type referred to in which the operating tension effective on the parts during operation of the same may be adjusted to suit the desire of the operator andothe conditions or needs of service,such adjustment being accomplished in a very simple manner with the use of relatively simple and inexpensive elements.

A still further prime desideratum of my invention comprehends the provision of a novel tying bill mechanism'in which the cutting elements are made detachable, the new bill tying mechanism yielding a very rigid construction for thread cutting and clamping purposes with all the elements of the mechanism inexpensively constructed of sheet metal and shaped to provide theidesired configurations which are adapted for 1921. Serial No. 487,632.

firm and facile interconnection to effect the desired strength and rigidity necessary in a mechanism of this kind.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the elements and their relation one to the other, as hereinafter particularly described and sought to be defined in theclaims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which show a. preferred embodiment of my invention, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved lrnotter showing the same in inoperative position, v

Figure 2 is a side-elevational view of the same with the hand grip broken away and showing'the knotter in loop forming position,

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the same with parts broken away and other parts shown in section,

Figure t is an enlarged side elevational view of the same with parts broken away and showing the knotter in knot-forming position, a

Figure 5 shows an essembly of a novel type of tying bill mechanism,

Figure 6 shows an assembly of amodified form of my tying bill mechanism, and

Figure 7 is a view of the bill spring of my tying bill. mechanism.

"The knottcr of my construction comprises generically relatively movable sections, one of the sections being considered as the sta; tionary section with the other section considered as the movable section. tionary section of my knotter comprises a side plate 10 formed of sheet metal and a handle or grip member 11 fixedly attached thereto; The grip member 11 may comprise a plate portion 12, and an end portion 13 bent at an angle thereto, the said portions receiving an adjustable strap member 14. Formed preferably integrally with the grip member 11 I provide the supporting arm 15 for supporting the operating parts of the knotter mechanism, the said supporting arm being fixedly located'and attached to the side plate 10. The means for attaching the supporting arm to the side plate may comprise thev opposed positioning lugs 16, between which is positioned the supporting a m 1.5, such means comprising further a centrally threaded nut 17 having The sta- '7 a reduced shank portion 18 received by a central opening in the side plate 10, the said shank portion 18 being preferably of rectangular shape, the said shank being adapted to receive a recess of corresponding conliguration provided in the supporting arm 15,

a bolt 19 having the threaded shank 20 and the head 21 being provided for threading cooperation with the centrally threaded nut- 17, rotation of the bolt 19 in the nut 17 effecting the attachment between the supporting arm and the side plate 10. The stationary side-plate 10 is also provided with a thread holding arm and to this end the said side plate section is provided with a preferably integral upstanding portion 22 bent outwardly and upwardly, the up wardly bent portion being provided with a hook shaped end 23 adapted for receiving and holding the thread.

The movable portion of the knotter comprises a tying bill bracket 24, the said bracket being formed preferably of sheet metal and being shaped to provide the plate portion 25 and the opposed parallel wall p ortions26 and 27, one of said wall portions being provided with a reversely bent element 28,the operating thumb lever 29 being preferably formed integrally with the said reversely bent element. The side plate portion 25 of the bracket is arranged for oscillation about the nut 17 and to this end the nut is provided with the cylindrical portion 30 receivingan aperture formed in the plate portion 25 and providing a bearing for the bracket, the nut being further provided with a disk shaped head 31 for retaining the bracket in operative position. The parallel wall portions 26 and 27 of the bracket are provided with registering apertures 32 and 33 for receiving and forming bearings for a bill shaft 34 of a tying bill mechanism 35. The reversely bent element 28 is provided with an. enlarged aperture 36 arranged eccentrically with respect to the bill shaft 34 for a purpose as will appear further hereinafter.

It will be apparent from the mechanism described that the side plate 10 may be held in a stationary position when the hand grip 11 is mounted on the hand of the operator, rotation of the tying billrbracket 24 with respect to the side plate 10 being effected by movement of the thumb lever 29 when actuated by the thumb of the operator. It is desired that the tying bill bracket be given an oscillating movement within limits and for the purpose of limit ing the relative rotation of the parts, the

tying bill mechanism 35, an oscillating movement, to further impart to the tying bill mechanism a rotative movement of the same in the bearings provided by the bill bracket. To effect this rotation of the tying bill mechanism the arcuate rack 39 fixedly attached to the side plate 10 is provided, the teeth of the said rack cooperating with notches or recesses 40 provided in the bill shank 34, these elements cooperating in the nature of a rack and pinion device. The operating parts of the knotter to one side of the plate 10 are enclosed by a casing comprising a side wall portion 41 and a cylindrical wall portion 42. For the purpose of locking the casing in position I preferably provide a locking pin or loop 43, one end 44 of the said locking pin being inserted in the loop portion 45 of the bill bracket, the said portion conveniently extending through an aperture provided in the side wall 41 of the casing, the other end of the locking pin 46 being received in an aperture 47 formed in the end wall 27 of the bill bracket, the said end wall. also extending through a suitable aperture provided in the side wall 41 of the casing.

The side wall 41 is provided with a thread guide for cooperation with the tying bill mechanism 35 and the thread holding arm 23, the said thread guide being formed preferably integrally with the side plate 41 and comprising the outwardly and upwardly bent portion 48 terminating in a hook shaped thread receivin portion 49.

For cooperation with the thread holding arm 23 a thread clamping member is provided, the arm and the clamping member cooperating to clamp the thread during the knot tying activity of the-knotting device. The clamp is also preferably formed of a single piece of sheet metal formed to provide substantially duplicate members comprising parallel wall portions 50 and 51, each portion being preferably integrally provided with a thread engaging terminus 52 and 53 respectively. The thread clamp is arranged to be movable relatively to the thread holding arm and to this end the clamping member is adapted to be actuated by movement of the movable section of the knotter. To accomplish this the walls 50 and 51 of the clamping member are provided with registering recesses or apertures arranged to receive the stud 37, which is preferably formed integrally with and struck up from the plate portion 25 of the tying bill bracket 24.

It will be apparentfrom the above described structure that in actuating the thumb lever 29 for rotation of the tying bill bracket 24 and the tying bill mechanism 35 with respect to the side plate 10, that the tying bill mechanism 35 is rotated into a position as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings for forming a loop in a thread located across the thread guide 49 and thread holding arm 23, further move ment of the operating lever 29 effecting further rotation of the tying bill mechanism into a position as shown in Figure t of the drawings to yield a knot formation in the thread, as disclosed in said Figure 4 of the drawings. The manner in which the tying bill mechanism cuts the thread and clamps the same after the cutting operation to effect a tightening of the knot will become clearer hereinafter. It will be further apparent that in the operation of the thumb lever 29 the thread clamping member is moved relatively to the thread holding arm 23, the parallel walls of the clamping member straddling the thread holding arm, the cooperation of these elements securely clamping the thread to effect the stripping of the thread from the tying bill mechanism, as shown in Figured of the drawings.

I have found in this type of knotter that during the knot forming or stripping 'operations the thread at times becomes caught over one side of the thread clamping member, resulting in a dislocation of the clamp-- ing member when the operator pulls the thread, this resulting in a derangement which is highly troublesome to an unskilled person using the device. With a skilled operative the replacement of a dislocated member involves an undesirable consump tion of time. I have therefore found it desirable to so construct this element as to avoid derangement without sacrificing the inexpensiveness of the construction and without sacrificing the facile detachability desired in a device of this nature. I have also found that in the use ofmy prior con struction reciprocating movement of the clamping member on the outwardly bent straight edge portion 56 of the thread holding arm 23 results in sawing a notch in the said arm, this resulting not only in an undesirable wearing away of that member, but also in a disalining of the parts, throwing the same out of the desired relative operating arrangement. I have therefore found it desirable to so modify the elements involved as to eliminate the resulting wear and tear and relative derangement of the parts during operation. To accomplish these ends I have provided the thread holding arm 23 and the clamping member 51 with interengaging means for guiding the relative movement between these parts and for locking the same against accidental derangement.- Accordingly, I have found it desirable to provide the wall :51 of the clamping member with an elongated guide slot 57 and I have further provided the thread holding arm 23 with an integrally struck up pin portion 58 received by the slot 57 and cooperating therewith to effect the guiding and locking functions. By providing this construction a larger wearing surface is provided by the pin than is provided by the straight edge 56 of the thread holding arm, wearing of the parts being effectively minimized. Furthermore, the pin and slot elements permit required relative movement between the clamping member and the thread holding arm, the elements further locking the clamping mem ber against accidental derangement while permitting detachability of the clamping member whenever replacement of parts is desired to be effected. Furthermore, these interengaging elements are provided by simple changes in the sheet metal construction of the clamping member and thread holding arm, thus keeping down the cost of manufacture of such members to a mini mum.

As hereinbefore referred to, movement of the bill bracket and the tying bill mechanism from a position shown in Figure 1 to a position shown in Figure a is effected by move- 'ment of the thumb lever 29. For the purpose of returning the parts to a position shown in Figure 1, resilient means is provided, one end of which is anchored to the stationary section and the other end anchored to a movable part of the knotter. To this end I provide a resilient means in the form of the coil spring 59, one end 60 of which is anchored to the stud 37, the other end 61 of which is, in turn connected to the stationary side plate 10, as will appear presently, the coil spring 59 being received by the head 21 of the bolt 19, the said coil spring being placed under increased tension when the thumb lever 29 is moved to the position shown in Figure 4 of the drawings. lVhile the end 60 of the coil spring 59 may be attached in any manner to the thread clamping member, I have found it desirable to attach the said end 60 of the spring to the pivotal connecting means provided by the stud 37 and the recesses 54 of the thread clamping member. By anchoring the end 60 of the coil spring in this manner the 7 spring is relied upon to perform the function of returning the thread clamping member to inoperative position withoutany forces being exerted to cause wear and tear between the interengaging pin and slot means 57 and 58, the connection between the spring end 60 and the stud 37 being effected in a neutral position, this being a further modification in the device over that shown in my prior patent above referred to. By providing this neutral attaching position it will be furthermore understood that any binding action between the pin and the slot 57 and 58 is done away with in addition to minimizing the wear and tear between these elements.

I have further found it desirable in the nature.

type of knotter above described to provide simple and inexpensive means for adjusting the operating tension of the return actuating spring 59. To this end I provide means fixedlyattached to the stationary sec tion of the knotter for adjustably receiving and anchoring the end 61 of the coil spring 59. A convenient construction to accomplish the desired function may be provided by the finger wheel 62 fixedly attached in any desired manner to the fixed bolt 19, the finger wheel 62 being provided-with a plurality of spaced circumferentially arranged open ended notches 55, each notch being adapted to receive and position the end 61 of the coil spring, the said end 61 being preferably shaped in loop form, as shown in the dawings, to permit ready insertion of a hook for rotating the coil spring to increase or decrease its operating tension.

The tying bill mechanism of my invention comprises generally a bill shaft 3t provided with the opposed bill portions 63 and 64 and the intermediate jaw portion 65. The bill portion 63 is intended merely for clamping action, the said bill being provided with a blunt upper edge for this purpose. The bill portion 6% is intended as a cutting or shearing bill, the upper edge of such bill portion being sharpened as by having the same bevelled on one side to effect the tie sired cutting or shearing function, The intermediate aw 65 is intended for both cut ting and clamping operations, the said intermediate portion being bevelled on its side adjacent the bill portion 64-, the cooperation of the jaw and the bill portion 64 effecting the cutting stroke, the cooperation of the jaw 65 and bill portion 63 effecting clamping of the thread after cutting activity. It has been found desirable to provide the cutting or shearing bill in the form of a detachable element, the tempering of the bills, the replacement of a broken bill and the detachability of the cutting bill for sharpening purposes being thereby facilitated. For

cheapness of manufacture I have further found it desirable to construct all the elements of the tying bill mechanism from sheet metal, such elements being subject to simplicity of manufacturing operations and providing, furthermore, a rigidity of construction desired for a mechanism of this To this end the tying bill shaft 3iand the bill 63- are preferably formed integrally and shaped from a single blank of sheet metal such as 66, shown in Figure 5 of the drawings, the blank con'iprising a substantially rectangular portion 67 adapted to be rolled to form the tubular shank portion 34 as shown in Figure 5 of the drawings, the blank being further provided with a preferably central upstanding portion 68 forming in the finished article the bill shank, the blank being further provided with an outwardly turned hook portion forming the bill element 63. I have found that a provision of such a sheet metal blank effects not only a rigid bill shaft for receiving a detachable bill portion, as will appear presently, but effects also a rigidly supported bill. sl ink 68 and clamping bill 63. The detachable cutting bill comprises a bill spring provided with the shank portion 69 and with the bill portion 64 referred to above, the said bill portion 64 being bevelled as at 70 to provide the cutting edge. The bill spring is'adapt ed to be removably connected to the integral bill shaft and bill, the shank 69 of the bill spring being securely and snugly received by the interior walls of the tubular bill shank 3- the bill 6 tbeing held in position with respect to the bill 63 by the provision of a pin 71 attached to the bill 63 and a recess or aperture 72 formed in the bill 64;. The detachable bill spring is produced by first providing the blank shown detached in Figures 5 or 6 of the drawings, and by ii-owing the said blank outwardly, as clearly shown at 77 in Figures 3, 5 and 7 of the drawings, the upper part of the shank 69 of the hill spring being further provided with the longitudinal stiffening ridge 78 shown in Figures 3, 5 and 6 of the drawings. By the shaping of the bill spring blank in this manner, upon insertion of the bill sprin in the tubular bill shaft 34 the lower ent? of the bill spring abuts against the inner walls of the tubular shaft 34 and the bowed port on T? abuts against the upper edge 79 of the outer walls of the tubular element 34, as clearly shown in Figures 3' and 5 of the drawin s the upper portion of the walls of the tubular shaft 34 being preferably inturned as shown in Figure 5 to provide a straight edge against which the bow of the bill spring will abut. By the provision of this means a construction is provided whereby the bill spring 69 as well as the 65 are forced inwardly and are held in close shearing engagement with the bill 63 while permitting the ready removability of the bill spring from the pin 71. The shearing and cutting jaw 65 is also provided with a suitable aperture, the pin 71 forming a bearing for the jaw 65, the aperture receiving the said pin. For effecting the opening and closing of the jaw 65 the said aw is provided with the wing portion 73, the said wing portion being intended for cooperation with the walls of. the eccei'itrically arranged aperture 36 provided in the tying bill bracket 24. In the form of the tying bill mechanism shown in Figure 6 of the drawings, in addition to the means shown in Figure 5 of the drawings, 1 may provide the blank 66 with the upstanding portions 74, these portions and the bill shank 68 defining therebetween abutting surfaces adapted for cooperation with shoulder portions 76 formed in the shank 69 of the bill spring. By providing all the elements of the tying bill mechanism of sheet or rolled metal the parts may be manufactured at low cost, all the parts, furthermore, providing the rigidity essential where it is desired that the tying bill mechanism perform its functions accurately on each stroke.

The manner of assembly and operation of my improved knotter will, in the main, be apparent from the above description thereof. In use the knotter is attached to the hand of an operator, the grip 11 being provided for this purpose, the thumb lever 29 being adapted to be grasped by the thumb of the operator for effecting actuation of the device, The thread desired to be tied or knotted is laid across the thread uide 49 and the thread holding arm 23.

ctuation of the thumb lever 29 in effecting movement of the tying bill mechanism 35 and the rotation of the said mechanism effects the looping of the thread, as clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. During movement of the thumb lever 29 from a position shown in Figure 2 to a position shown in Figure 4, the cutting and clamping jaw is opened to receive the end of the thread and closed to effect the cut ting thereof, the opening and closing activity being obtained by cooperation of the wing portion 73 of the jaw and the walls of the eccentric aperture 36. After the cutting stroke the end of the thread is held in clamped position between the clamping jaw 65 and the clamping bill 63. Further movement of the thumb lever 29 in effecting further rotation of the tying bill mechanism and in causing movement of the thread clamping member 51, the latter securely clamping the thread in cooperation with the thread holding arm 23, effects the tightening of the knot and the stripping of the knotted thread from the tying bill mechanism. When the thumb lever 29 is released the coil spring 59 effective on the clamping member 51 returns the same to inoperative position, the said clamping member, in turn, returning the elements connected thereto into normal inoperative position as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings.

While I have shown my device in the prefered form, it will be obvious that many changes and modifications may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention, defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a knotting device, the combination with a thread guide, a tying bill mechanism and means for operating the same, of a thread holdin" member associated with the guidaiid tying bill mechanism, a thread clamping member cooperatin with the thread holding for eite'ctingthread clamping activity, the members being arranged for relative movement with respect to each other, the thread clamping member and the thread holding member being provided with interengaging" lock means guiding the relative movement therebetweeni 2. In a knotting device, the combination with a thread guide, a tying bill mechanism and means for operating the same,.of a thread holding member associated with the guide and tying bill mechanism, a thread clamping member cooperating with the thread holding member for effecting thread clamping activity, the members being arranged for relative movement with respect to each other, the thread clamping member and the thread holding member being provided with interengaging pin and slotmeans guiding the relative movement therebetween.

3. In a knotting device, the combination of a casing comprising a stationary section and a movable section, a thread holding member carried by one of said sections, a. thread clamping member cooperating with the thread holding member andmovably mounted with respect thereto, the said members being provided with interengaging means guiding the relative movement therebetween, said movable section having a thread guide, a rotatable tying bill, means for imparting a rotary movement to the tying bill and an oscillating movement" to said bill, said clamping member and to the movable section of the casing. J

4. In a knotting device, the combination with a supporting arm, of a casing associated therewith and comprising a stationary section and a bodily movable section, a thread holding member carried by one of said sections, a thread clamp associated with the thread holding member and movable with respect thereto, the member and clamp being provided with interengaging'means guiding the relative movement therebetween, a thread guide carried by the other section, a tying bill and means for actuating the tying bill and the thread clamp and simultaneously moving the bodily movable section of the casing relative to the stationary section of such casing.

5. Asa new article of manufacture for use with a knotter, a thread clamping member formed of sheet metal and bent or folded to provide opposed parallel wall portions, the wall portions being provided with op: posed integral thread engaging fingers, and means for receiving anactuating element of the knotter, one of said wall portions being provided with means adapted for guiding interengagement with thethread holding member of the knottin device. f '6. As a new-article o manufacture forilse in a knotting device, athread iilamp'ingmem be: formed of sheet metal and banter mid ed'to provide opposed parallel wall portions, the wall portions being provided with opposed integral thread engaging fingers, one of said wall portions being provided with a guide slot adapted for guiding interengagement witha thread holding member of the knotting device.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a thread holding member formed of sheet metal and provided with an integral thread engaging hook or finger, the member being further'provided with an integral struc up stud adapted for guiding interengagement with a thread clamp of a knotting device.

8; As a new rticle of manufacture, a thread clamping member formed of sheet metal and bent or folded to provide opposed parallel wall portions, the wall portions being provided with opposed integral thread engaging fingers, a thread holding member also formed of sheet metal and provided with an integral thread engaging hook or fingen said members being arranged for rela terengaging lock means for tive movement and being provided with inguiding the relative movement therebetween.

.-9. As a new article of'manufacture, a thread clamping member formed of sheet metal and bent or folded to provide opposed parallel wall portions, the wall portions being provided with opposed integral thread engaging fingers, a thread holding member also formed of sheet metal and provided with an integral thread engaging 1100150;- finger, one of said members being provided with an elongated'slot and the other'ot said members being provided with an integral pin, the slot ant pin cooperating for mutual guiding and locking"interengagement.

101111 a knotting device, the combination with a. thread guide and a tying bill mecha nism, of a thread holding member associated with the guide and tying bill mechanism, a thread clamping member cooperating with the thread holding member for effecting thread clamping activity, the members being arranged forrelative movement with respect to each other, the thread clamping member and the thread holding member being provided with intere-ngaginglock means guid ing the relative 'movement therebetween, means for moving the clampingmember in one'direction and provisions to moving the clamping member in its return direction, said provisions comprising resilient means connected to said clamping-member.

'*- 11. In a ltnotting device, in combination, a stationary section and a movable section, said stationary sectionhaving a thread hold member, a thread clamping member assoeiated with-said thread holding member and arranged for" movement with respect thereto,- ineans connecting-said movable see tio'n and-"saidthread clamping member, means for moving said movable section in one direction with respect to said stationary section, movement of said section ett'ecting relative motion between the said members and provisions for moving the section in its return direction, said provisions including a resilient element operative on said clamp ing member at the said means connecting the clamping member to the movable section.

12. In a knotting device,the combination of a casing comprising a stationary section and a movable section, said stationary sec tion having a thread holding member, a thread clamping member associatedwith said thread holding member and arranged for movement with respectthereto, stud and slot means pivotally connecting said thread clamping member with said movable section, means for moving said movable section in one direction withrespect to said stationary section, movement of said section effecting relative motion between the said members and provisions for moving the section in its return direction; said provisionsincluding a resilient element operative on said clamping member at the said pivotal means'coiinect ing the clamping n'iember with the movable section. i 13. In a ltnotting device, in combination, a stationary section and a movable section, said stationary section having a thread holding member, a thread clamping member asst iciated with said thread holding member and arranged for; movement with respect thereto, the said members being provided with inter-engaging means guiding the relative movement therebetween, means connecting said movable section and said thread clamping member, means for moving said movable section in one direction with respect to said stationary section, movement ot said section effecting relative motion between the said members and provisions for moving the section in its return direction, said provisions including a resilient element operative, on said clamping member at the said-means connecting the clamping member to the movable section. i 14-. In a knott-ing device, in combination, a stationary section and a movable section, said stationary section havin g a thread holding member, a thread. clan ping member associated with said thread holding member and arranged for movement with respect thereto,-the said members being provided with intereng ging pin and slot, means guiding movement thercbetween, means connecting said movable section and said thread clamping member, means for moving said movable section in one direction with respect to said stationary section, movement of said section eti 'ectingrelative 1n tion between'the said members and provi: sions for movingthe section in itsreturn di rection, said pro-visions incIuclingaTeS" A element operative sald clamping member l in isa

at the same means connecting the clamping member to the movable section.

15. In a knotting device, in combination, a stationary section and a movable section, said stationary section having a thread holding member, a thread clamping member associated withsaid thread holding member and arranged for movement with respect thereto, means connecting said movable sec tion and said thread clamping member, means for moving said movable section in one direction with respect to said stationary section, movement of said section effecting relative motion between the said members, provisions for moving the section in its return direction, said provisions including a resilient element having one end operatively associated with said clamping member and means on the stationary section for adjustably anchoring the other end of the resilient element to adjust the tension thereof.

16. In a knotting device, in combination, a stationary section and a movable section, said stationary section having a thread holding member, a thread clamping member associated with said thread holding member and arranged for movement with respect thereto, means connecting said movable section and said thread clamping member, means for moving said movable section in one direction with respect to said stationary section, movement of said section efiecting relative motion between the said members, provisions for moving the section in its return direction, said provisions including a resilient element having one end operatively associated with said clamping member and means on the stationary section for adjustably anchoring the other end of the resilient element to adjust the tension thereof, said last mentioned means comprising a notched finger wheel.

17. In a knotting device, in combination, a stationary section and a movable section, said stationary section having a thread holding member, a thread clamping member associated with said thread holding member and arranged for movement with respect thereto, means connecting said movable section and said thread clamping member, means for moving said movable section in one direction with respect to said stationary section, movement of said section effecting relative motion between the said members, provisions for moving the section in its return direction, said provisions including a resilient element having one end operative on said clamping member at the said means connecting the member to the movable section.

18. In a knotting device, in combination, a thread holding member, a thread clamping member cooperating therewith, the members being arranged for relative movement with respect to each other, means for effecting the relative movement in one direction, provisions for effecting the reltive movement in the opposite direction, said provisions including resilient means anchored at one end to the said member and means on the other member for adjustably anchoring the other end of the resilient means to adjust the tension thereof.

19. In a knotting device, in combination, a thread holding member, a thread clamping member cooperating therewith, the members being arranged for relative movement with respect to each other, means for effect ing the relative movement in one direction, provisions for effecting the relative movement in theopposite direction, said prowisions including resilient means anchored at one end to the said member and a notched finger wheel fixedly attached to the other member for adjustably anchoring the other end of the resilient means to adjust the tension thereof.

20. In a knotting device, in combination, a thread holding member, a thread clamping member cooperating therewith, the members being arranged for relative movement with respect to each other, means for effecting the relative movement in one direction, provisions for effecting the relative movement in the opposite direction, said provisions including resilient means anchored at one end to the said member and means on the other member for adjustably anchoring the other end of the resilient means to adjust the tension thereof, the said members being provided with interengaging means for guiding the relative movement therebetween.

21. A tying bill mechanism for a knotting device comprising a bill and a tubular shaft integral therewith, a bill spring comprising integral bill and shank portions, the bill spring being detachably connected to the integral bill and bill shaft with the shank of the bill spring received by the said tubular bill shaft and a jaw removably connected between the said bills.

22. A tying bill mechanism for a knotting device comprising a bill member formed from a sheet metal blank and shaped to provide a bill and a tubular bill shaft integral therewith, a sheet metal bill spring comprising integral bill and shank portions, the bill spring being detachably connected to the integral bill and bill shaft, with the shank of the bill spring received by the said tubular bill shaft and a jaw removably connected between .the said bills.

23. A tying bill mechanism for a knotting device comprising a bill member formed from a sheet metal blank shaped to provide a clamping bill and a tubular bill shaft integral therewith, a sheet metal bill spring comprising an integral cutting bill and shank portions, the bill spring being detachably connected to the integral bill and bill shaft, with the shank ofthe bill spring received by the said tubular bill shaft and a cutting and clamping jaw reinovably connected between the said clamping and cutting bills.

24. As a new article of manufacture, a sheet metal blank adapted to be shaped to provide a tubular bill shaft and an integral bill and bill shank, the said blank comprising a rectangular portion adapted to be formed into the tubular bill shaft, a centrally upstanding portion comprising the bill shank and a hooked end portion comprising the bill. V V

25. A tying bill mechanism for a knotting device comprising a bill and a tubular bill shaft integral therewith, a bill spring comprising integral bill and shaft portions, the bill spring being detachably connected to the integral bill and bill shaft- With the shank of the bill spring received by the said tubular bill shaft, a jaw removably connectedbetween the said bills, the said tubular bill shaft being provided with a series of circumferentially arranged notches or slots for engagement with a rack element.

2-6. As a new article of manufacture, a bill member formed from a sheet metal blank and shaped to provide a bill and a tubular bill shaft integral therewith, the said tubular bill shaft being provided adjacent one end with a circumferential series of notches or slots adapted for cooperation With a rack element. f

Signed at Durham, in the county of Durham and State of North Carolina this 21st day of July A. D. 1921.

BRITTON E. BYRD. 

